New Haven & Fairfield County Real Estate Video Blog with Jonathan Carbutti

It's Never Too Early to Think Ahead

We just wanted to send out a quick message today to pop in and wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season! We want to say thank you to all of our friends, clients, and colleagues for letting us help you with your real estate goals in 2014. We wouldn't have had such a great year without all of your support.

2015 is right around the corner, and it's never too early to start thinking about your next home. Even if you are thinking about selling your home in the next 6-12 months, NOW is the time to talk to a real estate broker. We can meet up in early January and give you an honest, accurate estimate of what your home would sell for. Until then, be safe and Happy Holidays!

Why are we so thankful?

There are many great New Haven County area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (203) 269-4910 x 12 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey there, everybody! Today we just wanted to take a quick moment to say thank you so much for voting our team 1st as the best real estate agency in the 2014 Record Journal Reader's Choice Awards. This is a great honor and our team has worked very hard for this. Thank you so much for choosing us.

I also want to personally thank you all for voting me as the best real estate agent in the 2014 Record Journal Reader's Choice Awards.

This is a really great honor, which we wouldn't be able to achieve without all of you, our past and current clients, and anybody who has chosen us to help them achieve their home selling dreams. Thanks again.

Affordable Homes in New Haven County

Welcome back, everyone. We decided to shoot our video outside because it was such a beautiful day in Wallingford we couldn't resist. Today's topic is affordability in the marketplace. There seems to be a big misconception among buyers that there aren't a lot of affordable homes in Wallingford and New Haven County.

We are here to tell you that there are affordable homes, you just have to know where to look. One place to search is www.hudhomestore.com. Not a lot of brokers out there are certified to sell HUD homes, but we are. Right now, you can get a single family home with 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 1500 square feet, and a 2 car garage for under $200,000. In fact, we just sold one on South Orchard St. for $115,000.

If you think there are no affordable homes out there, you are mistaken. The great thing about HUD homes is that they are pretty easy to finance, and all you need is a little bit of guidance from a HUD certified broker.

If you have any questions, give us a call. We would love to sit down with you to explain how HUD properties work and why so many home buyers should be taking advantage.

Market Snapshot for New Haven County

We've seen some interesting trends here in the Wallingford area lately. Here are some of the numbers:

Median list price: $285,000
Average days on market: 165 days (normal for this area)
Market action index: 25.4 (below 30 indicates slight buyer advantage)

What do these numbers mean for our market? Well, they indicate we're experiencing a stable, normal market here in New Haven County. The market action index shouldn't be looked at too closely, but it is pretty close to 30, which would indicate a perfectly balanced market.

Right now, homes that are 2,000 square feet and above are very popular, especially if they have 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. We typically refer to that type of home as the "upgrader." However, there are still quite a few first time buyers out there and the market is still flooded with Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-owned homes.

If you have any specific questions about what kind of impact these numbers might have on you and the price of your home, give us a call. We would love to help you take advantage of this market!

This home at 207 W Park Ave is the quintessential arts-and-crafts-style home

As you walk through the front door of this 3000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath colonial, you'll find yourself in a wide open foyer with 14-foot ceilings. On the right is a large and spacious living room with a fireplace. To your left is a nice cozy dining room.

When you walk through the dining room, you'll stroll through a spacious butler's pantry before coming into the wide-open kitchen. The real bonus of this home is the huge, bolted-ceiling family room with a fire place and wall-to-wall windows looking out into the backyard.

As you walk up the stairs, on the landing between the first and second floors has an office. The second floor landing takes you to the 3 bedrooms and a smaller room that could serve as a 4th bedroom. Additionally, there is a walk-up attic with plenty of closet space.

On the lower level you'll find a fully furnished basement with another full bathroom.

The backyard is rather deceptive. It's narrow but long, wide open, and flat - which is great for entertaining. There is also a 2-car garage with a separate driveway in the back for parking.

Westville is pretty close to everything in New Haven, whether you're commuting to the city or just outside of it. If you have any questions about the property and would like to set up a time to take a look at it, give us a call or shoot us an email. We'd be happy to show you around.

Having a Home Warranty Makes Your Home More Attractive to Buyers

If you want to make your New Haven County home more attractive to potential buyers, you should consider purchasing a home warranty. This takes a lot of risk off the shoulders of potential buyers and may help you sell your home quicker.

Here at Carbutti & Company Realtors, we offer a warranty through Home Warranty of America (HWA). It includes 13 months of extensive coverage on a variety of appliances, which includes roof, furnace, plumbing, and electrical repairs. The warranty company offers 6 months of coverage for the seller so that if anything goes wrong with the appliances while we are trying to sell your home, they will send someone out to repair them.

Most real estate agents and brokers will offer a home warranty where the seller has to pay for it. If you work with us, we offer a 13-month home warranty to you and cover the whole cost of the policy - it comes directly out of our commission. A warranty is not only convenient because of its practicality, but also because of the peace of mind it gives you as a homeowner, knowing some of the more expensive fixes are covered.

If you would like to learn more about how a home warranty can benefit you, don't hesitate to get in contact with us. We'd be glad to help.

Don't Let Current Market Trends Discourage You

Today we're going to take a look at what to expect in the New Haven County real estate market in the coming months. July and August are typically two of our slower months, so we're likely to see some unfavorable trends. For instance:

Both the inventory of available homes and average days on the market are trending up. We expect this to continue over the next few months.
Homes priced under $300,000 are going the quickest, while those around $350,000 and above tend to be staying on the market longer and with a lot more competition.
In Wallingford, 42% of the listed properties have had price reductions from the time they were listed until now, which is indicative of our area in general. Some homes have even seen multiple price reductions.

This is nothing to get nervous about. These swings in market conditions are annual, this being the time where things cool off a bit. What this means for you is that pricing your home is more important than ever. If you are looking to put your house on the market in the coming months, now is the time to be talking to a real estate broker so we can work out an aggressive pricing strategy.

For an honest, realistic estimate of what your home is worth in the current market, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to give you a hand.

June Real Estate Market Update for Connecticut

The real estate market in Connecticut is constantly changing. It's hard to keep track of on a day-to-day basis, but I have already done that work for you. What I want to do is give you some relevant and important information so you can make informed decisions in this dynamic marketplace.

Right now we are in the midst of our busiest season of the year. The demand for homes, specifically 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom homes, continues to rise. We have a very low inventory of these homes, which we call "upgrade buyer homes".

As we move into the summer months, kids are either getting out of school for the summer or have graduated and are moving out. Now is the time when buyers are looking to either upgrade or downsize their homes. If you have the type of home we are looking for, you can take serious advantage of this market trend.

If you have a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home that's at least 2,000 square feet and is located ANYWHERE in Connecticut, I can guarantee you an honest, realistic estimate of what your home may sell for in this market.

Contact me today and I can assist you with every aspect of selling your home and put you at ease when you release your home on the market.

We Protect Home Buyers as a Buyer Brokerage

There are many great New Haven County area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (203) 269-4910 x 12 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

In today's blog I am going to be focusing on buyers. I've talked about this in the past, and I think you're starting to understand the buyer brokerage.

In the state of Connecticut, a real estate broker either represents the seller's interests, or we represent the buyer's interests. However, I still see a lot of buyers going to open houses and making offers with the listing agents for those properties. I don't think these people really realize how real estate works, because these agents at open houses are not working to protect the interests of the buyer.

The agents at the opens houses are working for the sellers, and are protecting their interests.

If you're not familiar with buyer brokerages or you don't have an agent representing you, then you need to sit down and speak with us today.

At the very least, you need to shoot me an email or give us a phone call to receive a copy of our Home Buyers Guide. This guide will tell you what to expect throughout the entire process to ensure that your best interests are protected.

I really want to make sure that your interests are being looked after, so I urge you to call me now and set up a time where we can discuss your wants and needs, and we can formulate a plan so those expectations can be met.

As always, consider me your #1 resource for New Haven real estate.

Use my Free Service to Track Real Estate Market Trends Anywhere in Connecticut

Today I wanted to offer you a service that will update you on market trends in any town in any area of Connecticut. We pay a lot of money for this service, but we want to offer it to you free of charge.

What's great about this market data is that it fills you in on pricing trends, the level of inventory for your town, and it will also give you value metrics that go as far back as 90 days.

For example, the market outlook for Wallingford, where we're located, shows you that the current list price as of this week is $299,900. There are also 168 properties on the market and the average days on market is 175 days. The real time market profile on the right gives you real-time median list price, average list price, median lot size, the most expensive listing, the least expensive listing, and much more.

Most importantly, it shows you a Market Action Index. This measures how the market is doing by measuring what is for sale and what is actually selling. Any index of 30 or above would indicate a seller's advantage, and any index below 30 implies that the buyers will be at an advantage. It will also show you where the market is trending so that you can forecast your future plans.

I just wanted to offer this service to anyone thinking about selling their home, or even if you just want to see where your home sits in the market. It's a very good service to take advantage of, so please contact me if you're interested.

Consider me your top resource for real estate in Connecticut.

Attention Buyers: Are You Aware of the Deals You’re Missing?

There are many great New Haven County area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (203) 269-4910 x 12 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Attention Buyers: Are You Aware of the Deals You’re Missing?

Today I wanted to appeal my video to towards buyers. If you’re looking for a good deal in the marketplace, we have a tremendous amount of opportunity; especially for first time homebuyers if you plan on being an owner/occupant. These are Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae. You may have remembered a segment I did a while ago about Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae videos and I will continue to shout these from the rooftops until you buyers contact me about these properties

We recently had a Freddie Mac property here in Wallingford at 50 North Elm Street that was a 1,700 square foot colonial with three bedrooms, one and half baths and a one car garage sell for $144,000! I’ve sold houses on that street for $260,000-270,000. This property was being offered to first time home buyers; it was a feeding frenzy! Even if you offered $20,000 over the asking price, you still would have a good deal. Yes the house needed cosmetic work, painting, flooring and a few appliances, but so what!

We also have a wonderful mortgage program called FHA 203(k) that allows you purchase these properties with only 3.5% down and the home’s rehab is figured in! This allows you to basically have a brand new house. If I seem like I’m animated and passionate, it’s because I am. I want to get the word out about these properties.

If you are a first time homebuyer in New Haven County and you are only searching the internet, please call me at (203) 980-6886 and we will guide you on all of these opportunities; you won’t find these deals by yourself. Thanks and I am excited about helping you get into your next home!

Find Out What Your Home Would Sell For

There are many great New Haven County area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (203) 269-4910 x 12 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Do you know what your home will sell for?

Today I wanted to gear my video towards sellers; we need inventory right now! If you’re thinking of either downsizing or moving up, now is the time for you to be doing a valuation on your home, getting all of your questions answered and obtaining an honest, realistic estimate of what your home would sell for in today’s market. This is especially important if you need to sell first in order to purchase.

If you aren’t ready to speak with a real estate agent or broker and you want to do a little homework on your own, visit our website (www.carbuttirealestate.com) to take advantage of one the best seller valuation tools in the business. It’s instant; all you have to do is click on the seller valuation tool, enter your home address, enter your email address and you will instantly receive your valuation.

It will include high and low range for sales in the last 6-12 months for your home. The report will give you a good start, but the best way to get an accurate estimate of what your home will sell for in today’s market is to call me. I will come to your property and give you an open, honest opinion of what your home will sell for.

If you’re thinking about selling, we are very, very good at it. Give me a call if you would like any additional information about selling your home. Thanks and have a great day!

Why Should You Be a Preapproved Buyer?

Why Should You Be a Preapproved Buyer?

Today I wanted to talk about the importance of being preapproved for a mortgage. With many loan programs like FHA, CHFA, USDA (the only 100% financing loan) and conventional (including fixed and rehab), this is all the reason why you should be preapproved for a mortgage!

If you are not preapproved for a mortgage before you go out looking for homes, you are at a huge disadvantage right now. We’ve had buyers get excited and go out, look at homes and walk into a $350,000 home thinking they can afford it. However, after talking to a lender or mortgage broker, they find out they’re only approved for a $250,000 mortgage. This is a huge letdown! On the positive end of it, we’ve had people thinking they could only afford a condominium and find out after preapproval that they qualify for a larger mortgage.

I just want to stress that if you are not preapproved before you physically go out looking at homes, you are at a huge disadvantage. You can either call or email me and we can get you preapproved for a mortgage. It only takes 5-10 minutes, its painless, there is no obligation and we can match you up with one of our fantastic lending partners with the best products and interest rates.

Thanks and have a great day!

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